Pull fastening device for shoes and more particularly for ski shoes



July 5, 1966 A. s. STEINBERG PULL FASTENING DEVICE FOR SHOES AND MOREPARTICULARLY FOR SKI SHOES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 28, 1964INVENTOR.

July 5, 1966 A. s. STEINBERG PULL FASTENING DEVICE FOR SHOES AND MOREPARTICULARLY FOR SKI SHOES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 28, 1964 UnitedStates Patent Ofiice 3,258,820 Patented July 5, 1966 3,258,820 PULLFASTENING DEVICE FOR SHOES AND MORE PARTICULARLY FOR SKI SHOES AdalhertoSussman Steinberg, Via Frassinetti 25, Milan, Italy Filed Apr. 28, 1964,Ser. No. 363,232 Claims priority, application Italy, Apr. 30, 1963,8,957/63; Oct. 5, 1963, 20,536/ 63 6 Claims. (Cl. 2470) Conventionalpull fastening devices for retaining the shoes and more particularly skishoes in closed position are usually formed with pairs of elementsengaging each other, one element being fixed to one side of the shoeupper and the other element being fixed to the opposite side, one ofsaid elements consisting of at least a hook, a button or the like andthe other one consisting of a linked pull system comprising a lever anda tension member, which are connected to each other by means of an elbowjoint element.

The present invention provides for a considerable improvement in shoefastening devices especially to increase the efficiency thereof.

The characteristical feature of the pull device according to the presentinvention .is to maintain the tension member of the elbow joint systemconstantly parallel to the support base portion and therefore to theupper of the shoe. Thanks to this feature when the tension member is notoperative it is made to stay in raised position parrel to the shoe upperthereby greatly facilitating and speeding up the fastening operation.More particularly, said arrangement is made possible by having twolateral slots provided in the side bearings of the lever, said lateralslots being adapted-to receivethe common pivot of the intermediate armand of the tension member sliding therein so as to have the tensionmember move on a path which is parallel to the support base portion.

The fastening device of the invention may be completed with somemodified means and namely: instead of engaging a stationary rack-likeelement, the U-shaped tension member may engage a movable rack elementforming a part of an auxiliary lever fastening device. In this way it ispossible to obtain at the moment of the closing operation a secondadjustment or regulation of the pulling action.

The double link joint system for attachment of the U-shaped tensionmember may be provided with a third adjustment arrangement by having oneof its pivots mounted on a support means with upright bearings providingfor two pull positions, i.e. one with the joint system stretchedforwards and the other one with the joint system turned over backwardsand passing the dead center. In this way the tension member may beshortened thus allowing for a third adjustment of the whole fasteningunit.

The following detailed specification refers to the accompanying drawingwhich diagrammatically shows some practical solutions:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fastening device in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a slightly enlarged plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a lateral view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is the same view as in FIG. 3 wherein some details are sectioned.

FIG. 5 is a view of the device of FIG. 4 in open position.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of FIG. 5 which is partially modified.

' FIG. 7 is a side view of a modification of the device shown in FIGS.1-5 in open position and with a second pull adjustment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a variant of FIG. 1 with the addition oftwo adjustment arrangements in a position corresponding to the startingof the pulling action.

FIG. 9 is a view of the U-shaped tension member which is to be directlyapplied to the upper of the shoe with its length adjusting device inextended position.

FIGS. 10-12 are views of constructive details of the intermediate linkelement of the tension member shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1-5 the upper of the shoe has thehook element 30 applied to its side 11 and the hooking element 14, 31,19' applied to its other side 16, said hooking element consisting: of aplate 31 with bearings 14 carrying the pivot 13 for the lever 12; of asecond pivot 21 which is carried by the lever 12 and which secures theintermediate arm 32 pivotally, said intermediate arm 32 being providedat its opposite end with a recess 33 that is adapted to receive thetransverse portion of a first tension member 34 passing through saidopen recess 33; and of two parallel slots 35 provided in the bearings 14of the plate 31 which are adapted to have the tension member 34 slidetherein.

The lever 12 is completely comprised within the side bearings 14 whilethe tension member 34 is situated outside of said side bearings exceptfor its transverse portion which is journaled in 33.

The intermediate arms 32 may have different shapes in accordance to thepractical solutions or embodiments of the device. In FIG. 6 forinstance, the pivot arrangement 33 is provided with a slide roller 36.

The first tension member 34 is connected to the second tension member19' in any preferred suitable manner over connection means 24 which isintended to prevent twistings or deflections of the rod portions of saidmember especially if it is made in a single piece. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 5 and 6 the connection means 24 is shown in its extended positionand in its turned over position to provide for a further lengthadjustment of the tension member system 34-19.

FIG. 7 is a view of a double pull fastening device wherein the hook rackelement 30, which in FIG. 1 is stationary, has been replaced by asimilar but mobile element 15 with hook like teeth 16, 16, 16".

Said movable element 15 is pivoted in 20 on a lever 44 which is in itsturn pivoted in 43 to the :bearings 42 of a support plate 40. Thissupport plate is secured to the upper of the shoe with nails passingthrough the holes 41 and is provided with a front portion havingprojecting parallel edges 40 which define therebetween a central channel49 adapted to receive the free end 16 of the movable member 15 slidingtherein. The tension member 19' engages said hook rack element which isdisplaced by pressing down the lever 44, thus realizing a second pullsystem which is symmetrical to the one comprising the lever 12.

The fastening device to the left of FIG. 7 could'also be used alonewhenever a double pulling action is not required. Such an embodiment isshown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The device consists in this case of two portionsand namely: of a main portion which is suited to be applied to a side ofthe shoe upper and is made of a base portion 40 with attachment holes 41and upright bearings 42 projecting from that end of the plate which isin proximity of the uppers edge. Said bearings 42 are provided with thepivot 43 having the handle lever 44 journaled thereon, said lever beingprovided with two projecting portions, the movable rack element 15 ispivotally connected to. The inclined teeth 16 of the element 15 definetherebetween intermediate spaces 17. The ring portion of the connectingtension member 19' is made to hook into one of said intermediate spaces17, said tension member being pivotally connected to the base plate 51which is secured to the other side 26 of the upper by means of the nails53.

The base portion 40 has two lateral edges 40' extending from thebearings 42 in longitudinal direction, said edges defining a channel 49which serves as a slide guide for the suitably rounded free end of therack element 15. The fulcrum center 20 between the handle lever 44 andthe rack element 15 is chosen to be higher than the pivot point of thehandle lever 44 so that the inclination of the rack element 15 withrespect to the base channel 49 never exceeds 45 whatever the position ofthe handle lever 44 might be. The base portion 40 with its bearings 42in proximity of the uppers edge cushions the fastening pressure which isthus transferred from the front portion of the instep laterally towardsthe bottom of the shoe.

Furthermore the application center of the fastening pressure which isdetermined by the free end of the rack element 15 is not stationary but,on the contrary, moves during the fastening operation along the guidechannel 49 whereby every excessive localized stress is prevented fromacting on a single point of the foot.

The other portion of the pull device, namely the connection ring 19' ispivotally connected to a base plate 51 which is also provided withupright bearings 57 carrying the pair of pivots 52 with the intermediateelement 54 journaled thereon, which in its turn has the ring 19 pivotedthereto in 55. This intermediate element is made of a rectangular plate54 (FIG. having the ends of the longitudinal edges provided withprojections 52 so that by folding said plate in the middle (as shown inFIGS. 11 and 12) the combined projections 52 are made to form a pivotwhich is adapted to enter into a hole of the bearings 57 while themiddle portion 54 forms a sleeve that is adapted to receive the two endsof the rings 19' bent at a right angle. The portions of the bearings 57which are located upstream with respect to the combined pivots 52 arerecessed as in 58 to form a safe seat for the sleeve 54 in the overturned position shown in FIG. 8. The sleeve 54 is tightly engagedtherein and is prevented from being unintentionally pulled out of itsseat even when a high stress is applied. The change from the position ofFIG. 8 to the position of FIG. 9 may take place only by intentionalaction of the wearer. This constructive arrangement has the advantagethat the link member 55 of the ring 1'9 may be disposed either in theposition of FIG. 8 i.e. upstream of the pivots 52 with respect to theuppers edge 26 or, as shown in FIG. 9, downstream of said pivots 52,whereby it is made possible to control practically the length of thetension member, this arrangement serving as a further adjustment of thefastening device. I

I claim:

1. A pull device for fastening two shoe portions comprising a tensionmember pivotally connected to one portion of the shoe and extendable tothe other portion, base plate means fixedly attached to the otherportion of the shoe, said base plate means having slide channel means,lever means pivoted to rotate towards and away from the pivotalconnection of said tension member, hook rack means hinged at one end tosaid lever means, said hook rack means having a plurality of hooks forreceiving said tension member, said hook rack means having the other endslidable in said slide channel means of said base plate means, the twoshoe portions being pulled together by movement of said hook rack meanswhen said lever means is rotated away from the pivoted connection ofsaid tension member.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hook rack means ishinged at said lever means at a position between the center of saidlever means and the pivotally mounted end of said lever means, thedistance between the hinged connection of said hook rack means and thebase plate means always being sufficiently less than the length of saidhook rack means to maintain said hook rack means at an inclination angleless than 45 with respect to said base plate means in order tofacilitate operation of the pull device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said other end of said hook rackmeans may be swung in an upward arc to a position enabling convenientinitial engagement with said tension member, tension being applied tosaid tension member upon the return of said other end of said hook rackmeans to said slide channel means.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including a base means fixedlyconnected on the one portion of the shoe, connection means pivotallymounted at one end to said base means, said tension member beingpivotally connected to the other end of said connection means, saidconnection having an extended position and an overturned position toallow the extended position of said tension member to be adjusted.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said base means includes two uprightshoulder means, said connection means being comprised of a plate havinga pair of lateral projections on each end, said plate being folded toadjacently dispose said pairs of lateral projections to form link pivotmeans, said link pivot means being pivotally centered in said uprightshoulder means of said base means to allow said connection means toassume either of two said positions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tension member is pivoted onbase means fixedly attached to the second side of the shoe upper, saidbase means having slot portions, lever pull means pivotally mounted onsaid base means and connected to one end of said tension member forapplying tension to said tension member, arm means being pivotallyconnected at one end to said lever pull means, said arm means having asecond end slidably mounted in the slot portions of said base means inorder to delimitate the movement of said arm means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 513,727 1/1894Potts 24-70 X 724,940 4/ 1903 Reiterman. 1,002,901 9/ 1911 Christman24-70 3,132,392 5/1964 Steinberg 2470 FOREIGN PATENTS 93 1912 GreatBritain.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEI-IR, Examiner.

1. A PULL DEVICE FOR FASTENING TWO SHOE PORTIONS COMPRISING A TENSIONMEMBER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO ONE PORTION OF THE SHOE AND EXTENDABLE TOTHE OTHER PORTION, BASE PLATE MEANS FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO THE OTHERPORTION OF THE SHOE, SAID BASE PLATE MEANS HAVING SLIDE CHANNEL MEANS,LEVER MEANS PIVOTED TO ROTATE TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM THE PIVOTALCONNECTION OF SAID TENSION MEMBER, HOOK RACK MEANS HINGED AT ONE END TOSAID LEVER MEANS, SAID HOOK RACK MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF HOOKS FORRECEIVING SAID TENSION MEMBER, SAID HOOK RACK MEANS HAVING THE OTHER ENDSLIDABLE IN SAID SLIDE CHANNEL MEANS OF SAID BASE PLATE MEANS, THE TWOSHOE PORTIONS BEING PULLED TOGETHER BY